A Florida man accused of voter fraud by an office under Gov. Ron DeSantis had his charges dismissed on Friday.
Robert Wood is one of 20 people who were arrested and charged by the governor for allegedly illegally voting in the 2020 election. DeSantis announced the arrests in August, praising them as successes of the newly funded Office of Election Crimes and Security.
Wood was facing up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fees and fines, if convicted of one count of false affirmation on a voter application, and one count of voting as an unqualified elector.
A judge ultimately ruled that the statewide prosecutor did not have jurisdiction to charge Wood because the alleged crime only took place in Miami-Dade County. The statewide prosecutor only has grounds if the alleged crimes occurred in at least two judicial circuits, the judge ruled, according to ABC News.
RON DESANTIS ANNOUNCES 20 CHARGED FOR VOTER FRAUD IN FLORIDA
All 20 cases of voter fraud are being prosecuted by the statewide prosecutor. With the charges against Wood now dropped, defense attorney Larry Davis said that his motion to dismiss on grounds of jurisdiction has been circulated to attorneys representing the other defendants accused of voter fraud.
Videos recently circulated on social media showing footage of the arrests, with one detainee, Tony Patterson, expressing his confusion at being arrested for alleged voter fraud two years after the election.
Those arrested, 20 in all, were convicted of murder or felony sex offenses but voted in the 2020 election despite apparent violations of the process to restore their voting rights. However, many have argued that multiple instances of misinformation or incorrect mailing information caused them to believe they could vote.
Last week, prosecutors declined to charge six people with voter fraud due to several Florida officials using voter registration forms or mailing information from before an amended law went into effect, which restricted murder or sex offense felons from voting.
“In all of the instances where sex offenders voted, each appear to have been encouraged to vote by various mailings and misinformation,” Lake County prosecutor Jonathan Olson wrote. “Each were given voter registration cards which would lead one to believe they could legally vote in the election. The evidence fails to show willful actions on a part of these individuals.”
The statewide prosecutor can appeal the judge’s decision in Wood’s case. If it is denied, the case will then go to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez.
The Office of Election Crimes and Security is continuing to arrest and charge alleged illegal voters. On Thursday, the office announced that it arrested a Jamaican citizen for illegally voting in two Broward County special elections in January and March and for using a counterfeit birth certificate.
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The press release from the office included previous convictions or criminal records, information that DeSantis also shared about the 20 voter fraud defendants at his press conference. One of the defendant’s lawyers said that the sharing of criminal records is a calculated tactic to reduce sympathy among Floridians.
